Iran Says It Has Greatly Expanded Strait of Hormuz Military Zone

Iranian officials said Tehran was implementing new security policies in the Strait of Hormuz.

An Iranian tugboat floats in the foreground as cargo ships sit at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on May 4, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP

Tehran has expanded the definition of the Strait of Hormuz into a “vast operational area” far larger than before the Iran war, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said.

Political deputy of the IRGC Navy Mohammad Akbarzadeh said that a newly implemented military plan had expanded the effective operational zone of the strait from roughly 20 to 30 miles to more than 200 to 300 miles, according to a May 12 report by the state-affiliated Fars News Agency.